Article June 6, 1914 Issue

In the recent sermon on Christian Science reported in the...

Charles E. Jarvis—Compton, Cal.

Enterprise

In the recent sermon on Christian Science reported in the Enterprise, the cleargyman has displayed a regrettable spirit of intolerance which can only be accounted for by his evident failure to grasp the import of Mrs. Eddy's teachings. Will you therefore kindly allow me to say a word by way of correction, and in so doing to call the attention of your readers to the text chosen by our friend on the above occasion. It was taken from Paul's admonition to the Thessalonians: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil." It would be difficult to put into fewer words the entire philosophy of Christian Science. Every Christian Scientist is endeavoring to conform his daily life to these very rules, for he realizes that only as he does so can he be accounted worthy of the name.

Throughout his sermon our critic has discussed Christian Science from his concept of it as a therapeutic agent, but has failed to recognize its appeal to mankind as a religion. While it is true that the majority of people have turned to Christian Science for relief from physical ills, for the very simple reason that freedom from sickness and pain is greatly to be preferred to a condition of bondage, it is not true that the healing feature is the most important one. On the contrary, mankind in seeking relief from physical ills very quickly finds, after turning to Christian Science, that his freedom is dependent upon his willingness to "put off ... the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" and to "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." This putting on of the new man is the spiritual regeneration which takes place in the life of the one who seeks surcease from sin and suffering through the study of the Bible in the light of the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy.

Our critic tells us that "the chief place to study its claims is at the meetings of testimony." If he were to attend one of these meetings, or if he were to read the testimonials appearing weekly and monthly in the Christian Science Sentinel and The Christian Science Journal, respectively, he would very soon realize that the gratitude expressed is for the spiritual and moral uplift in the individual consciousness, the result of a better understanding of God and of man's relationship to Him, and the importance of physical healing is relegated to second place.

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